The Invention will be described specifically with relation to the transportation of newspapers in pocket conveyors, but it is understood that it is not intended to be limited thereto. Conveyors comprising a plurality of pockets arranged serially have long been known. The pockets consist of two walls, usually hinged together at or adjacent their lower ends. The pockets have an open position, wherein a newspaper can be introduced therein, and a closed position, where the walls are adjacent each other and the newspaper is held therebetween. Commonly, each pocket receives a newspaper jacket, closes, and then reopens with a vacuum applied to the jacket. This causes the jacket to open for reception of one or more inserts.
As these devices are fed mechanically at high speed, it is not unusual for the newspapers to be off center in the pockets. As a result, a gripper picking up the newspaper from the pocket will not hold it in the center. Therefore, it will be unbalanced, thereby increasing the probability that it will be dropped. When this occurs, there is a substantial risk that the jacket will not be fully opened. Therefore, when the insert is fed into the pocket, it will at least partially damage the jacket so that the paper will have to be discarded. Should the malfunction be sufficient so that the jacket does not open at all, then the insert will fall into the pocket outside the jacket. Here, too, the paper will have to be discarded. In addition to the foregoing, misaligned newspapers can cause jamming of the entire machine, thereby requiring that it be stopped and cleared before production can continue.
When a standard sized newspaper is being handled, a pair of endless belts (one on each edge) is adjusted to bear against the side edges of the newspaper, thereby centering it within the pocket. However, when the newspapers are small, it is necessary to elevate them from the hinge so that they project into the cut-out in the pocket walls. This enables the gripper to grasp the paper and remove it from the pocket. If this is done, however, the endless belts are beneath the folded edge of the paper and therefore cannot be used for alignment.